The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-26
LEFT HIS BONES BEHIND.
a shipwrecked Sailor Escapes from a
Desert Island with Framework of


would do and how he would feel without
having any bones to walk around with, to
most people would be rather hard to con-
ceive, but to John Hughes, who is now an
inmate of the Charity Hospital, ON Black
wells Island, there is no difficulty about
forming an opinion. He has bone or two
left in his system, but taking his anatomy
as a whole he is about as much without
bones as any one living. He is not partlcu-
larry unhappy in his present condition, but
still he does not advise everyone to get rid
of their bones for the sake of enjoying life
as much as he does.
Hughes was cast away on desert island
in the Southern Pacific. AS soon as he
could collect his senses, he crawled to a
sheltered spot in the woodland, which for
tunately was near a spring. After getting
water then came the search for food. 1t
was a dreary hunt, but finally Hughes
found some birds of large size, feeding upon
a peculiar vegetable or plant having a light
yellow flower, and concluded that he could
stand what the birds could. He ate freely
of this plant and soon there followed a
pleasant sense of exhilaration or stimula-
ton. The food was nouriShing and he
gained strength. He made trips over the
island, but save the half-sunken timbers in
the sand that marked the burial places of
many good ship there was nothing to show
that the foot of a human being had ever
trod the desolate place. He varied his vege-
table diet by killing some of the birds.
He had hopes, as is natural to the follower
of the sea, of being rescued some day.
There was ever chance that vessel might
be blown his way. In order that the atten-
ton, of any passing ship might be attracted,
he fastened his red shirt every clear day to
the top of dead tree. Days, weeks, and
months passed and never the sign of a sail.
1t was a monotonous existence, but it was
finally broken by the appearance of long
black streak on the horizon. This in
dictated that a steamer was passing,
but would it come near the island, was
the question that racked the mind of the
castaway? 1t did, and the lookout's eye
caught the waving shirt. The steamer was
stopped, a boat put off to the shore and
Hughes, crazy with delight, was taken
aboard. The rescued man after a few days
recovered the usual tenor of his mind and
worked his passage on the vessel, which
proved to be an ocean tramp, to France.
The day after the vessel got to France,
Hughes shipped on brlgantine for New
York. Three days before the vessel got
here Hughes stumbled over a stool and
broke his right leg. 1t was bad fracture
and it was thought strange that such a
serious result should have followed so slight
q cause.
Hughes was taken to the Charity hospital
when the vessel got to this port. This was
months ago. Both the tibia and fbula
bones in the leg were found to be fractured,
by Dr. Willets, the attending surgeon.
After some preliminary treatment the leg
was done up in a plaster of paris bandage.
1t was supposed that the usual result would
follow, and that in a few weeks the patient
would be able to hobble on a crutch for a
while and then leave the hospital. At the
end of six weeks the upper portion of the
bandage was cut away. This gave the
patient the liberty to move the leg, and it
proved decidedly unfortunate. The foot
and lower part of the leg being heavy, the
patient in getting out of bed let his leg fall
heavily, and it struck the edge OF the bed in
the middle of the thigh bone, which
snapped as if it was d pipe stem. This
fracture was thought to be due to the
weakened condition of the bone and mus
cles from inaction. The pain was so great
that Hughes became delrious and, after his
entire leg had been bandaged, he threw his
right arm wildly and fractured both the
radius and ulna and the collar bone. These
were put up in plaster. Soon after this the
patient to get relief from the position in
which ko had been so long, threw his left
leg over the right quickly and the shock
broke the thigh bone near the knee.
This last fracture was of such an unusual
nature that. taken in consideration with the
others, it was thought to demonstrate some
defect in the organic structure of the bones.
Such a case has never been seen before. In
experimenting with the pressure upon the
injured arm, the ulna was broken near the
wrist. This led to practical examination
of the bone. An opening was made i'll the
arm and a piece of bone taken out. 1t was
found to be very fragile, and crumbled like
calcined bone. A chemical and microscope
cal examination showed that the disease
was an extraordinary case of ffaQilites
ossium The brittleness was caused by an
undue proportion of earthly matter, and the
quantity was so great in this case that the
bone was in some places but little more than
dust held together by an oleaginous fluid.
The bones of the entire body were found to
be affected. In order to stiffen the spine
and protect the ribs, chain shirt was put
on the body. This consisted of a tight
fitting network of wire and stiffened the
body so that it was the same as if 1t was all
encased in a solid bone
Internal remedies were given to counter
act the crumbling tendency of the bones and
the removal of tissue from the body. A
good result followed, and at the end of two
months an examination showed a percepti-
bic hardening of the bones Fortunately
the skull was the least affected. The frac-
lures united rapidly in the legs and arms,
and the plaster was taken off at the expira-
ton Of three months.
In order that there might he no strain
upon tho bones DR.. Willets constructed an
ingenious piece OF mechanism of steel bands.
These were fitted tightly to the legs and arms
lcngthwise on both sides, witha movable at
tachment at the joints TO admit of natural
motion. The bands were very stiff though
elastic, and took all the strain Of the body
from the bones. The patient could stand
and the harness sustained the weight, and
with this raliof there is a possibility that the
bones may, with proper treatment, be re-
stored to their normal condition. it is esti-
mated that two years will be consumed at
least in doing this, and it may be that the
patient will never get well.
Hughes attributes his condition to eating
the vegetable food on the island where he
was cast ashore. He says that he noticed
that the bones of the birds he caught crum-
bled in his fingers without being subjected
10 heat, and broke easily when twisted. DR.
Willets has no confidence in this idea but
thinks that the disease was caused by the
repeated attacks Of scurvy which Hughes
had in his seafaring life. Scurvy is known
10 render the bones brittle in those who have
the disease. The name OF the plant Hughes